


The Problem with Having a Magnet as a Heart

by selimbradleyisahomunculus



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Arc Reactor Issues, Chronic Pain, Hurt Tony Stark, Sick Tony Stark, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tony-centric, id say this is set just after the avengers but it can go whenever tbh, idk if this is canon compliant or not uuhhh, ok theres no way tony doesnt suffer from chronic pains w the arc reactor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 19:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18414170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/selimbradleyisahomunculus/pseuds/selimbradleyisahomunculus
Summary: You know, having a literal magnet for a heart may sound cool, but it definitely has its consequences.  Take chronic pain as an example.You get used to it after a while, but some days, it’s pure agony.  Tonight was one of those nights for Tony Stark.





	The Problem with Having a Magnet as a Heart

You know, having a literal magnet for a heart may sound cool, but it definitely has its consequences. Take chronic pain as an example. 

You get used to it after a while, but some days, it’s pure agony. Tonight was one of those nights for Tony Stark.

He felt the pain start up around five o’clock, but he ignored it and, of course, never told anyone. It progressively worsened, and by the time he had headed to bed he could barely move. 

By eight-thirty, he had already told everyone he was heading off to bed. By eight-forty-five, he was hurled up in a fetal position, huffing and puffing and trying not to scream out in pain. 

He sat like that for two agonizing hours, before Pepper came up to bed. He didn’t move, though he tried to control his breathing, as to not worry Pepper. She laid down next to him and kissed the top of his head. 

Tony was so thankful for her. Without her, who knows what he’d be doing. Hell, without her he would most definitely be dead. He didn’t want her to worry even more, with him being in so much pain.

Finally, just after one, he fell into a light sleep. His pain didn’t get any better; quite the contrary, in fact. Tony wasn’t asleep for long.

At one-forty-five, Tony jolted awake. He was in so much pain, oh god, he felt sick, he couldn’t breathe-

Not wanting to wake Pepper up, he rolled himself off of the bed and stumbled to the washroom, making it to the toilet before he hurled.

Oh, he certainly couldn’t make it back to the bed. I guess the bathroom floor will do, he thought. 

At four-thirty, Pepper awoke to the sounds of gasps and wheezes. Feeling around beside her in her sleep-induced haze only to find a mound of blankets instead of her lover. 

Sitting up, she saw the dim light from their ensuite, Pepper stood up from her bed and staggered over to the room. What she saw she was definitely not expecting. 

A breathless lump laid on the floor, and Pepper was immediately on her knees, pulling him onto her lap. 

“Tony! oh , Tony, what’s wrong? How do I help you?” She was panicking now, Tony was being unresponsive. He was shaking in her arms, groaning and rasping, clutching his chest. 

“JARVIS, call someone, please!” Pepper called out.

The robotic voice chimed in, “Who would you like me to call? Emergency?”

A quiet, scratchy voice interjected, “No! Don’t call emergency, I need-” he interrupted himself with a hollow cough, “I don’t need them hounding on me. Call Rhodey or something just, please, not emergency.”

“Rhodey is not here at the moment. Shall I call Captain Rogers?”

Tony tried to interject again, but it led to coughs and dry heaves until he was shouting out in pain. 

“Please, JARVIS.”

“He has been notified, Mrs. Potts. Please take care of Sir for me.”

Pepper nodded at the ceiling, snapping her head back to her lap after a agonizing scream and then a total cease in sound and motion. 

“Oh god, what’s happening!? He didn’t die, did he?” Pepper yelled, checking his pulse. Yep, there was definitely a pulse. 

 

It was around four-forty-five when Tony woke up again, this time, not even trying to hide his excruciating screams and yells. He was clawing at his chest to the point of blood running down his hands and dripping to the linoleum floor. 

Pepper was trying her best to stop him, she pulled his arms into a hug-like state. He looked up at her with panicked, hollow eyes and her heart broke. She couldn’t help him, she had no idea what to do. She couldn’t help but let out a sob.

At about ten to five in the morning, the door speaks with three loud bangs. A man walks through and walks over the the bathroom, kneeling next to Pepper and putting two hands on Tony’s shoulders. 

“Mrs. Potts, do you want me to take him?”

A quick nod from Pepper.

Steve Rogers pulled the trembling figure onto his lap, and with one look at his tear-streaked face and his heart, just as Pepper’s did, broke. He pulled the smaller man closer, resting his head on his shoulder. With a hand on his lower back and a hand on the back of his head, Steve rocked back and forth, as a sort of comfort. 

“What’s happening? Should we get him to the doctors?”

Wiping her eyes, Pepper shook her head, “I don’t know, but he told me not to take him to emergency. That’s why I called you.”

Steve’s face turned more serious, “We need to take him, even if he objects. It’s for his own health. He could be dying, for crying out loud!”

“No, please don’t,” sobbed Tony into Steve’s shoulder, “I’m just- I’m just in a lot of pain.”

“That’s why we need to take you, Stark. That pain could mean anything, and when it’s this bad, it could be something life-threatening.”

Tony wheezed and shook his head, “I know the reason. The- The arc reactor in my chest does this sometimes, it hurts so much. I guess my body doesn’t-” a cough, “-doesn’t react well with a hunk of metal in it.”

Both Steve’s and Pepper’s heart broke a little more, but all they could do was hold him until the pain left. 

Pepper got up, and with trembling legs she grabbed the glass of water sitting on their bedside table, bringing it back to Tony. Tony had stopped screaming, but he was still gasping and sweating, in visible pain. Pepper ran a hand through his hair and he slowly opened his clenched eyes.

“Hey, sweetie, you should get some water in you.” 

With a slight mm of acknowledgment, she brought the water to his lips. He drank a few sips before he moved his head, signalling for the glass to be taken away.

Pepper watched as his eyes closed again and kissed his forehead. Moving back in front of Steve, she could see he was now rubbing small circles onto the small of his back, and he had started humming a tune that neither Pepper nor Tony recognized, but it was soothing. 

Slowly, Tony’s trembling ceased and at approximately five-fifteen, he finally fell asleep on Steve’s shoulder. 

It was seven am on the dot, and in the ensuite of the master bedroom in the Avengers Tower, the three of them still sat. Pepper fell asleep around six-thirty, leaning on the bathroom cupboard. Steve had stayed awake the entire time, gently rocking the sleeping Stark on his lap.

A small shift is what alerted Steve that the man on his lap was awake.

“Steve.”

“Hey, I’m up. How’re you feeling?” 

A short moment of silence, “I hurt, and I’m fucking tired.”

Steve chuckled at that, Tony was back to his old self again. He reluctantly lifted his head from Steve’s shoulder and pushed himself up. 

With a loud yawn, Tony made himself over to his sleeping lover and kissed her on the top of the head. His attention shifted back to Steve after he stood up himself, walking towards the door of the ensuite. 

“Hey, Steve?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

Steve smiles back at Tony, “Anytime. If this happens again, I’ll be willing to help you again, just give me a shout.”

A nod from Tony, “And, uh, could we keep this to ourselves?”

The other man let out a genuine laugh and nodded, walking out of the ensuite and the master bedroom. 

 

An eight-thirty breakfast with the rest of the Avengers. In his familiar formal suit, Tony scanned the table where the rest of the Avengers were sitting. Pepper walked behind him, in jeans and a t-shirt.

“What’s up with the fancy breakfast? Pancakes? Ooh, you even got the good blueberries!” he exclaimed, stealing the container of blueberries from the table and putting one in his mouth, “What’s the occasion?”

Steve emerged from the kitchen bringing a fresh plate of pancakes to the table, “I just thought I’d do a nice breakfast, everyone seemed to have a rough night last night.” he glanced at Tony and grinned.

“I swear I kept hearing screaming from outside and couldn’t sleep. I just wanted to sleep, goddamnit!” Clint chided in.

Natasha rolled her eyes at Barton and looked over to Tony and Pepper, “You guys look like you had the worst sleep of any of us.”

“Yeah, well, some people have work to do. Isn’t that right, Pep?” 

A yawn, “Yep, I can’t sleep while he’s working. I’m in the same boat as Clint, too, There must’ve been screaming or something outside.”

The two sat at the table and ate the pancakes Steve made. God they were delicious. Tony rarely ate a meal, let alone something this extravagant. The usual chatter commenced at the table. Everything was good in the world. 

Yeah, everything's good.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope this wasn't too ooc djfhkjdfh,,, Tony was kinda bc he was in pain and i know i act wierd when im in pain so i think im alright there,,,,
> 
> constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated!!!!!!!


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